I know this is going to be polarizing for some people. Let me say up front, this is something that works for me. It is purely an opinion. I have some backing from books I've read, but ultimately this is an opinion I've derived from years of experience. It may or may not work for you, my reader. I am happy to open a dialogue about it. I don't want to derail anyone's progress. If counting calories works for you (meaning you are seeing significant results, either pounds or inches lost), then read this with that frame of reference. If, however, you've been counting calories with pinpoint precision and *not* seeing results, this may be for you.
Once upon a time, my mom told me about Weight Watchers. I joined back in 2004, right around the time they launched their points program.
I had fairly remarkable success. I was able to shed about 80 or so pounds. I did it in about a year. I kept religious records, filling in all of my food journals.
After a while, I kind of knew the deal. I knew what to eat every day *in order to stay within my points.* This is important. I learned great things about portion control and the importance of eating foods high in fiber. I learned how to read a nutrition label. What I didn't learn was what food I should eat to nourish and fuel my body.
I used to go to Jewel and buy Lean Cuisine frozen dinners in bulk. I would eat one for lunch and one for dinner. I knew which ones tasted good and which ones were high in points but low on being filling. I knew I had to drink plenty of water to feel full.
Add to this the points I would "earn" by exercising. Those meant I could eat more, right? I mean, what's the point of killing myself at the gym if I can't reward myself?
Now, at the point that I was in WW, I had cut out white sugar. I think this ultimately contributed to my ability to lose weight. I understood that sugar was harmful to me, but I didn't understand the extent to which it was destroying my body.
So fast forward several years. I have since tried WW again. I joined online and tried to duplicate the results I had previously seen (this time not cutting out white sugar). I struggled, I won't lie. I saw minor fluctuations in my weight, I lost *some* weight, but really the pounds stuck to me like a toddler at the doctor's office.
I have also used MyFitnessPal. I saw about the same amount of success with that as I did with WW. Very small weight loss numbers. (I understand that it's not all about weight loss, but it is a valid measurement for progress and success.)
So here we are now. I've talked about how I'm doing the Paleo-ish diet and doing intermittent fasting.
I have been posting some big numbers as far as weight-loss is concerned. I have not been entering a single food item in MyFitnessPal (or similar apps). I feel like it would take me more time to weigh each individual ingredient in my salad, to measure all of the items I have for dinner, to search through the vast database. I also think it would tempt me to log my exercise in a way that then encourages me to eat the calories I've "earned." I don't want to sit in the app and decide how many pieces of steak I can have because I ran 5 miles today.
What's healthier for me is to serve myself dinner, sit down, use my utensils, chew slowly and drink water. I can tell you, over the past six or so weeks, I've rarely gotten up for seconds. I almost always get up to refill my water, but I hardly ever feel the need to put more food on my plate. What's more, I typically don't finish everything on my plate. So then how would I account for that? Right? I mean, it becomes this whole mental exercise for which I do not have the energy. (I mean, I have four kids, a dog, two guinea pigs and a husband. I'm short on "extra" energy.)
I also don't think all calories are created equal. I aim to eat nutrient-dense foods at both of my meals. I mean, I am going for no fillers, all nutrients. I am eating to fuel my body. If I am counting calories and the app says I have "extra" calories, I don't want that to mess with my head. I don't want to know where I am at with calorie expenditure because ultimately, it doesn't matter.
I also don't track my calories so that I'm not attempted to eat the calories I burn while exercising. I used to exercise on purpose with the intent that I would be able to eat (insert food here). I spent a lot of time hemming and hawing about my perceived exertion level. Was I out of breath? Did I start sweating immediately? Could I hold a conversation? These are all factors that have a bearing on the amount of calories I have actually expended.
There are a lot of great devices to track all of those things, but again, none of them is 100% accurate. I don't believe, then, that it serves me well to add in my exercise calories. I don't think it would help me reach my ultimate goal.
Now, saying all of that, I do keep a food journal. I write down all the things I eat and all of the liquids I consume. I make note of the amount and type of exercise I've done in a day. It's not about micromanaging. It's about awareness. I can examine my journal and see why my weight hasn't changed the way I was hoping it would.
It also works in the other way. I have been working hard to take the "should" out of exercise. I love to walk and run and have been trying to find a reasonable way to fit it into my day. It doesn't serve me to guilt myself about whether or not I was able to make it outside. It's not a positive influence on my psyche to have a workout schedule where there is no room for life not cooperating. I also have tried to let go of how exercise "should" look.
Today, for example, I knew I wanted to walk around 5 miles. I chose 5 because it's a good length of time for me to be outside. I mostly know how to travel throughout my neighborhood and make a loop that fits the mileage I want to hit. We got to about mile 5.25 and Brooklyn was done. She wanted out of her stroller.
In the past, I would have sped up. I wouldn't have let her get out. I would have fought through her whining because I had a workout to get done! I can't walk slowly because then I might not be able to eat (insert food here).
BUT. I have already decided what I'm going to eat today. I wrote it down. I don't have to think about my food at all today, I've already done that. I don't have to be concerned that I'll have too many calories. I don't have to figure out how many pieces of candy I CAN eat because I have X amount of calories left for the day.
It's so simple, but I know it's not easy. Today was an emotional day. Nothing bad happened, I just felt down in the dumps. It would have been easy to make myself a PB&J sandwich and chase it with water (or even milk). But I didn't. I know any negative feelings I have are just feelings and I can deal with them.
Please, if you are reading this and having a panic attack at the thought of just "eyeballing" it, don't worry. I'm not saying you have to let go of the app or anything. I'm just explaining what worked for me.
I need to finish up because I am falling asleep at the keyboard, lol. I hope everyone has a pleasant evning!
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